Neighbor relation maintaining method and apparatus, and network device

ABSTRACT

Provided are a neighbor relation maintenance method and apparatus, including: a first node configuring measurement and instructing a terminal to report ANR-related information, or requesting a second node to configure measurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-related information. If the first node configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report ANR-related information, the first node maintains a neighbor relation of a cell in the first node based on the ANR-related information, and forwards the ANR-related information to the second node for maintaining a neighbor relation of a cell in the second node; if the second node configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report ANR-related information, the second node maintains the neighbor relation of the cell in the second node based on the ANR-related information, and forwards the ANR-related information to the first node for maintaining neighbor relation of the cell in the first node.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2018/106286 filed on Sep. 18, 2018, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

To satisfy people's pursuit in terms of a speed, a latency, high-speedmobility, and energy efficiency of a service, and diversity andcomplexity of a service in the further life, the 3^(rd) generationpartnership project (3GPP) international standards organization startsto develop 5^(th) generation (5G) mobile communications technologies.

An air interface part of the 5G mobile communications technologies isreferred to as new radio (NR). Because it is difficult to achieve fullNR coverage during early deployment of NR, typical network coverage is acombination of long term evolution (LTE) coverage and NR coverage. Inaddition, a working mode of tight interworking between LTE and the NR isput forwarded to protect early investment of a mobile operator on theLTE. Certainly, an NR cell may alternatively be deployed independently.

In the LTE, a self-organized network (SON) is provided with an automaticneighbor relation (ANR) function, and a network node can report a foundmissing neighbor relation through measurement of user equipment (UE),and further maintain integrity and effectiveness of a neighboring celllist. However, such an ANR function is provided for one network node.There are two network nodes that provide services for UE in a dualconnectivity (DC) network. How to implement the ANR function in such ascenario is a problem that needs to be resolved.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of this application relate to the field of mobilecommunications technologies and provide a neighbor relation maintainingmethod and apparatus, and a network device.

A neighbor relation maintaining method provided in an embodiment of thisapplication includes:

configuring, by a first node, measurement and instructing a terminal toANR-related information, or requesting a second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, where

if the first node configures measurement and instructs the terminal toreport the ANR-related information, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of a cell included bythe first node, and forwards the ANR-related information to the secondnode for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cellincluded by the second node; and if the second node configuresmeasurement and instructs the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, the second node maintains, based on the ANR-relatedinformation, the neighbor relation of the cell included by the secondnode, and forwards the ANR-related information to the first node for thefirst node to maintain the neighbor relation of the cell included by thefirst node.

A neighbor relation maintaining method provided in an embodiment of thisapplication includes:

receiving, by a first node, a measurement report sent by a terminal, anddetermining, based on the measurement report, that a target cell is notin a neighbor relation list of a cell included by the first node; and

requesting, by the first node based on frequency point informationand/or PCI information of the target cell, ANR-related information of adesignated cell from a second node, where

if the ANR-related information of the designated cell from the secondnode is obtainable to the first node, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of the cell included bythe first node; and if the ANR-related information of the designatedcell from the second node is not obtainable to the first node, the firstnode configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report theANR-related information, or requests the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation.

A neighbor relation maintaining apparatus is provided in an embodimentof this application, where the apparatus is applied to a first node andincludes:

a measurement configuration unit, configured to configure measurementand instruct a terminal to ANR-related information, or request a secondnode to configure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information; and

a requesting unit, configured to request the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, where

if the first node configures measurement and instructs the terminal toreport the ANR-related information, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of a cell included bythe first node, and forwards the ANR-related information to the secondnode for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cellincluded by the second node; and if the second node configuresmeasurement and instructs the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, the second node maintains, based on the ANR-relatedinformation, the neighbor relation of the cell included by the secondnode, and forwards the ANR-related information to the first node for thefirst node to maintain the neighbor relation of the cell included by thefirst node.

A neighbor relation maintaining apparatus is provided in an embodimentof this application, where the apparatus is applied to a first node, andincludes:

a determining unit, configured to receive a measurement report sent bythe terminal, and determine, based on the measurement report, that atarget cell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cell included bythe first node; and

a requesting unit, configured to request, based on frequency pointinformation and/or PCI information of the target cell, ANR-relatedinformation of a designated cell from a second node, where

if the ANR-related information of the designated cell from the secondnode is obtainable to the first node, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of the cell included bythe first node; and if the ANR-related information of the designatedcell from the second node is not obtainable to the first node, the firstnode configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report theANR-related information, or requests the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation.

A network device provided in an embodiment of this application includesa processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computerprogram, and the processor is configured to invoke and run the computerprogram stored in the memory to perform the foregoing neighbor relationmaintaining method.

A chip provided in an embodiment of this application is configured toimplement the foregoing neighbor relation maintaining method.

Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to invoke andrun a computer program stored in a memory to enable a device equippedwith the chip to perform the foregoing neighbor relation maintainingmethod.

A computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of thisapplication is configured to store a computer program, where thecomputer program enables a computer to perform the foregoing neighborrelation maintaining method.

A computer program product provided in an embodiment of this applicationincludes a computer program instruction, where the computer programinstruction enables a computer to perform the foregoing neighborrelation maintaining method.

An embodiment of this application provides a computer program, when thecomputer program is run on a computer, the computer is enabled toperform the foregoing neighbor relation maintaining method.

The ANR function in the DC network is implemented by using the foregoingtechnical solutions, and neighbor relations of a plurality of servingcells on two network nodes can be simultaneously maintained through anANR reporting function of a network node.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings described herein are used for providingfurther understanding for this application and constitute a part of thisapplication. Exemplary embodiments of this application and descriptionsthereof are used for explaining this application and do not constitutean improper limitation to this application. In the accompanyingdrawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architectureaccording to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart 1 of a neighbor relation maintainingmethod according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart 2 of a neighbor relation maintainingmethod according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural composition diagram 1 of a neighborrelation maintaining apparatus according to an embodiment of thisapplication;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural composition diagram 2 of a neighborrelation maintaining apparatus according to an embodiment of thisapplication;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communications deviceaccording to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to anembodiment of this application; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communications system accordingto an embodiment of this application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will bedescribed in the following with reference to the accompanying drawingsin the embodiments of this application. It is obvious that the describedembodiments are some rather than all of the embodiments of thisapplication. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinaryskill in the art based on the embodiments of this application withoutcreative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of thisapplication.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can beapplied to various communications systems, such as a global system formobile communications (GSM) system, a code division multiple access(CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system,a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long term evolution (LTE)system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE timedivision duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunicationssystem (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)communications system, or a 5G system.

For example, a communications system 100 used in an embodiment of thisapplication is shown in FIG. 1. The communications system 100 mayinclude a network device 110, and the network device 110 may be a devicecommunicating with a terminal 120 (or referred to as a communicationsterminal or a terminal). The network device 110 may providecommunications coverage for a specific geographic area, and maycommunicate with a terminal located inside the covered area. Optionally,the network device 110 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a GSMsystem or a CDMA system, a NodeB (NB) in a WCDMA system, an evolvedNodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in acloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device maybe a network side device in a mobile switching center, a relay station,an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a hub, aswitch, a bridge, a router, or a 5G network, or may be a network deviceor the like in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN).

The communications system 100 further includes at least one terminal 120located inside a coverage area of the network device 110. The “terminal”used herein includes, but is not limited to: being connected through awired line, for example, through a public switched telephone network(PSTN), a digital subscriber line (DSL), a digital cable, or a directcable; and/or another data connection/network; and/or being connectedthrough a wireless interface, for example, through a cellular network, awireless local area network (WLAN), a digital television network such asa DVB-H network, a satellite network, or an AM-FM broadcast transmitter;and/or an apparatus of another terminal that is configured toreceive/send communications signals; and/or an Internet of Things (IoT)device. The terminal that is configured to communicate through thewireless interface may be referred to as a “wireless communicationsterminal”, a “wireless terminal”, or a “mobile terminal”. An example ofthe mobile terminal includes, but is not limited to, a satellite or acellular phone; a personal communications system (PCS) terminal thatcombines a cellular radio telephone, data processing, fax, and datacommunication capabilities; and may be a PDA including a radiotelephone, a beeper, Internet/Intranet access, a web browser, a memopad, a calendar, and/or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; andmay be a conventional laptop and/or palmtop receiver or anotherelectronic apparatus including a radio telephone transceiver. Theterminal may be an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriberunit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile console, a remotestation, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, aterminal, a wireless communications device, a user agent, or a userapparatus. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordlessphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop(WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld devicehaving a wireless communication function, a computing device, anotherprocessing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, awearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, a terminal in a futureevolved PLMN, or the like.

Optionally, the terminals 120 may perform device to device (D2D)communication with each other.

Optionally, a 5G system or a 5G network may also be referred to as a newradio (NR) system or an NR network.

FIG. 1 illustratively shows one network device and two terminals.Optionally, the communications system 100 may include a plurality ofnetwork devices, and in a coverage area of each network device, anotherquantity of terminals may be included. This is not limited in theembodiments of this application.

Optionally, the communications system 100 may further include anothernetwork entity such as a network controller or a mobility managemententity. This is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

It should be understood that, in a network/system in the embodiments ofthis application, a device having a communication function can bereferred to as a communications device. Using the communications system100 shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the communications device may includea network device 110 and a terminal 120 that have a communicationsfunction. The network device 110 and the terminal 120 can be specificdevices described above. Details are not described herein again. Thecommunications device may further include other devices in thecommunications system 100, for example, other network entities such as anetwork controller and a mobility management entity. This is not limitedin the embodiments of this application.

It should be understood that, terms “system” and “network” in thisspecification are usually interchangeably used in this specification.The term “and/or” in this specification is only an associationrelationship for describing associated objects, and represents thatthree relationships may exist, for example, A and/or B may represent thefollowing three cases: A exists separately, both A and B exist, and Bexists separately. In addition, the character “/” in this specificationgenerally indicates an “or” relationship between the associated objects.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application aremainly applied to a 5G mobile communications system. Certainly, thetechnical solutions in the embodiments of this application are notlimited to the 5G mobile communications system, and may alternatively beapplied to other types of mobile communications systems. Mainapplication scenarios in the 5G mobile communications system aredescribed below.

(1) eMBB scenario: eMBB aims at that a user obtains multimedia content,a service, and data, and its service demands increase rapidly. BecauseeMBB may be deployed in different scenarios, for example, indoorscenarios, cities, rural areas, and the like, and its service capacityis greatly different from its demands. Therefore, a service needs to beanalyzed with reference to a specific deployment scenario.

(2) URLLC scenario: Typical applications of URLLC include: industrialautomation, electric automation, telemedicine operations, trafficsafeguard, and the like.

(3) mMTC scenario: Typical characteristics of URLLC include: highconnection density, a small data volume, a latency insensitive service,low costs and a long service life of a module, and the like.

In an NR discussion, it is agreed in R15, each NR carrier has a maximumchannel bandwidth that is 100 MHz for a low frequency and that is 400MHz for a high frequency. In addition, the 100 MHz/400 MHz channelbandwidth is continuous. If the UE keeps working on a broadband carrier,power consumption of the UE is high. Therefore, it is suggested thatradio frequency (RF) bandwidth of the UE is adjustable according to anactual throughput of the UE. Configuration and sending of a plurality ofsynchronous signal block (SSB, SSS/PSS and PBCH Block) of a defined cellare defined on an entire broadband carrier of a 5G broadband cell.Because receive bandwidth of an idle UE is smaller than bandwidth of abroadband cell, after finding the SSB of the defined cell through asearch, the UE obtains system broadcast information, and camps.Therefore, on the entire broadband carrier of the 5G broadband cell,idle UEs are randomly distributed at frequency points at which all SSBsof the defined cell are located.

In the LTE, a SON is provided with an ANR function, and an LTE basestation can report a found missing neighbor relation through measurementof UE, further maintain integrity and effectiveness of a neighboringcell list, and reduce abnormal neighboring cell switching, therebyimproving network performance, avoiding manual operation, and reducingoperation and maintenance costs of the network. Furthermore, a neighborrelation of the LTE includes an intra-LTE cell neighbor relation of andan inter-RAT neighbor relation. With deployment of the NR network, an NRcell needs to maintain the inter-RAT neighbor relation of the LTE. Inaddition, the NR cell also needs to support the ANR function, andmaintain the missing neighboring cell in its neighbor relation list.

According to another aspect, a DC architecture includes EN-DC, NE-DC,5GC-EN-DC, and NR DC. In the EN-DC, an LTE node serving as an MN nodeand an NR node serving as an SN node are connected to an EPC corenetwork. In the NE-DC, an NR node serving as an MN node and an eLTE nodeserving as an SN node are connected to a 5GC core network. In the5GC-EN-DC, an eLTE node serving as an MN node and an NR node serving anSN node are connected to a 5GC core network. In the NR DC, an NR nodeserving as an MN node and an NR node serving as an SN node are connectedto a 5GC core network.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application may beapplied to any type of the DC architectures above. FIG. 2 is a schematicflowchart 1 of a neighbor relation maintaining method according to anembodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 2, the neighborrelation maintaining method includes the following steps.

Step 201. A first node configures measurement and instructs a terminalto ANR-related information, or requests a second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, where if the first node configures measurement andinstructs the terminal to report the ANR-related information, the firstnode maintains, based on the ANR-related information, a neighborrelation of a cell included by the first node, and forwards theANR-related information to the second node for the second node tomaintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by the second node; andif the second node configures measurement and instructs the terminal toreport the ANR-related information, the second node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, the neighbor relation of the cell includedby the second node, and forwards the ANR-related information to thefirst node for the first node to maintain the neighbor relation of thecell included by the first node.

In this embodiment of this application, the terminal may be any devicethat can communicate with a network, for example, a mobile phone, atablet computer, an in-vehicle terminal, or a notebook computer.Furthermore, the terminal is configured to be in a DC mode. In the DCmode, the terminal can simultaneously communicate with two networknodes, and the two network nodes are the first node and the second noderespectively.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node is a master node(MN) in a dual connectivity network, and the second node is a secondarynode (SN) in the dual connectivity network; or the second node is amaster node (MN) in the dual connectivity network, and the first node isa secondary node (SN) in the dual connectivity network.

Furthermore, types of the first node and the second node may be the sameor different. For example, the first node is an LTE base station, andthe second node is an NR base station. For another example, the firstnode and the second node are both NR base stations.

In this embodiment of this application, using that the terminal reportsa measurement report to the first node as an example, the first node isan MN or an SN. Specifically, the first node receives the measurementreport sent by the terminal, determines, based on the measurement reportthat a target cell is not in a neighbor relation list of a cell includedby the first node, and then performs one of the following two actions.

(1) First action: The first node configures, based on frequency pointinformation and/or physical cell identifier (PCI) information of thetarget cell, measurement and instructs the terminal to report firstinformation of a designated cell and/or system broadcast information ofat least one cell.

Herein, the first information of the designated cell includes at leastone of the following: a public land mobile network PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and anRNAC.

Herein, the system broadcast information of the at least one cell may beinformation broadcast in system broadcast of any cell.

In this embodiment of this application, the first information of thedesignated cell and/or the system broadcast information of the at leastone cell reported by the terminal to the first node are or is used forthe first node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by thefirst node. Herein, that the first node maintains the neighbor relationof the cell included by the first node means that: each serving cell ofthe terminal included by the first node determines whether thedesignated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

For example, the first node includes four serving cells, and the fourserving cells all determine whether the designated cell is a missingneighboring cell, and if yes, the four serving cells add the designatedcell to their neighbor relation lists.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node sends at leastone of the first information of the designated cell, the systembroadcast information of the at least one cell, a measurement result ofthe designated cell, a measurement result of the serving cell of theterminal, and a measurement result of the neighboring cell to the secondnode for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cellincluded by the second node. Herein that the second node maintains theneighbor relation of the cell included by the second node means that:each serving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

For example, the second node includes two serving cells, and the twoserving cells all determine whether the designated cell is a missingneighboring cell, and if yes, the two serving cells add the designatedcell to their neighbor relation lists.

(2) Second action: The first node requests, based on frequency pointinformation and/or PCI information of the target cell, the second nodeto configure measurement and instruct the terminal to report informationrelated to the designated cell.

In this embodiment of this application, the second node configures,based on the frequency point information and/or the PCI information ofthe target cell, measurement and instructs the terminal to report firstinformation of the designated cell and/or system broadcast informationof at least one cell. Herein, that the second node maintains theneighbor relation of the cell included by the second node means that:each serving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

Herein, the first information of the designated cell includes at leastone of the following: a public land mobile network PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and anRNAC.

Herein, the system broadcast information of the at least one cell may beinformation broadcast in system broadcast of any cell.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node receives at leastone of the first information of the designated cell, the systembroadcast information of the at least one cell, a measurement result ofthe designated cell, a measurement result of the serving cell of theterminal, and a measurement result of the neighboring cell sent by thesecond node, for the first node to maintain a neighbor relation of acell included by the first node. Herein, that the first node maintainsthe neighbor relation of the cell included by the first node means that:each serving cell of the terminal included by the first node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

It should be noted that, the designated cell in the embodiment of thisapplication may be a cell or a plurality of cells. Furthermore, thedesignated cell includes the target cell. In an implementation, thetarget cell is a cell having best signal quality measured by theterminal.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart 2 of a neighbor relation maintainingmethod according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG.3, the neighbor relation maintaining method includes the followingsteps:

Step 301. A first node receives a measurement report sent by a terminal,and determines, based on the measurement report, that a target cell isnot in a neighbor relation list of a cell included by the first node.

In this embodiment of this application, the terminal may be any devicethat can communicate with a network, for example, a mobile phone, atablet computer, an in-vehicle terminal, or a notebook computer.Furthermore, the terminal is configured to be in a DC mode. In the DCmode, the terminal can simultaneously communicate with two networknodes, and the two network nodes are the first node and the second noderespectively.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node is a master node(MN) in a dual connectivity network, and the second node is a secondarynode (SN) in the dual connectivity network; or the second node is amaster node (MN) in the dual connectivity network, and the first node isa secondary node (SN) in the dual connectivity network.

Furthermore, types of the first node and the second node may be the sameor different. For example, the first node is an LTE base station, andthe second node is an NR base station. For another example, the firstnode and the second node are both NR base stations.

In this embodiment of this application, using that the terminal reportsa measurement report to the first node as an example, the first node isan MN or an SN. Specifically, the first node receives the measurementreport sent by the terminal, and determines, based on the measurementreport that a target cell is not in a neighbor relation list of a cellincluded by the first node.

Step 302. The first node requests, based on frequency point informationand/or PCI information of the target cell, ANR-related information of adesignated cell from a second node, where if the ANR-related informationof the designated cell from the second node is obtainable to the firstnode, the first node maintains, based on the ANR-related information, aneighbor relation of the cell included by the first node; and if theANR-related information of the designated cell from the second node isnot obtainable to the first node, the first node configures measurementand instructs the terminal to report the ANR-related information, orrequests the second node to configure measurement and instruct theterminal to report the ANR-related information.

Specifically, the first node sends a request message to the second node,where the request message includes at least one of the following:frequency point information of the target cell, PCI information of thetarget cell, and cell identifier information of a serving cell on a sideof the first node for the terminal. Furthermore, the cell identifierinformation of a serving cell on a side of the first node for theterminal includes at least one of the following: a PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and anRNAC.

It should be noted that, the designated cell in the embodiment of thisapplication may be a cell or a plurality of cells. Furthermore, thedesignated cell includes the target cell. In an implementation, thetarget cell is a cell having best signal quality measured by theterminal.

After receiving the request message, the second node looks up, accordingto the frequency point information and/or the PCI information of thetarget cell, a neighbor relation table and a cell list for which thesecond node is responsible, if the ANR-related information of thedesignated cell is found, sends the information to the first node, andif the ANR-related information of the designated cell is not found,performs one of the following two actions.

(1) First action: The first node configures measurement and instructs aterminal to

ANR-related information. Specifically, the first node maintains, basedon the ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of a cell includedby the first node, and forwards the ANR-related information to thesecond node for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of acell included by the second node. The ANR-related information includesfirst information of the designated cell and/or system broadcastinformation of at least one cell, where the first information of thedesignated cell includes at least one of the following: a PLMN list,frequency point information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC,and an RNAC.

Specifically, the first node configures, based on the frequency pointinformation and/or the physical cell identifier (PCI) information of thetarget cell, measurement and instructs the terminal to report firstinformation of a designated cell and/or system broadcast information ofat least one cell.

Herein, the first information of the designated cell includes at leastone of the following: a public land mobile network PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and anRNAC.

Herein, the system broadcast information of the at least one cell may beinformation broadcast in system broadcast of any cell.

In this embodiment of this application, the first information of thedesignated cell and/or the system broadcast information of the at leastone cell reported by the terminal to the first node are or is used forthe first node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by thefirst node. Herein, that the first node maintains the neighbor relationof the cell included by the first node means that: each serving cell ofthe terminal included by the first node determines whether thedesignated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

For example, the first node includes four serving cells, and the fourserving cells all determine whether the designated cell is a missingneighboring cell, and if yes, the four serving cells add the designatedcell to their neighbor relation lists.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node sends at leastone of the first information of the designated cell, the systembroadcast information of the at least one cell, a measurement result ofthe designated cell, a measurement result of the serving cell of theterminal, and a measurement result of the neighboring cell to the secondnode for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cellincluded by the second node. Herein, that the second node maintains theneighbor relation of the cell included by the second node means that:each serving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

For example, the second node includes two serving cells, and the twoserving cells both determine whether the designated cell is a missingneighboring cell, and if yes, the two serving cells add the designatedcell to their neighbor relation lists.

(2) Second action: The first node requests the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation. Specifically, the second node configures measurement andinstructs the terminal to report the ANR-related information, and thesecond node maintains, based on the ANR-related information, a neighborrelation of a cell included by the second node, and forwards theANR-related information to the first node for the first node to maintaina neighbor relation of a cell included by the first node. TheANR-related information includes first information of the designatedcell and/or system broadcast information of at least one cell, where thefirst information of the designated cell includes at least one of thefollowing: a PLMN list, frequency point information, PCI information, acell identifier, a TAC, and an RNAC.

In this embodiment of this application, the second node configures,based on the frequency point information and/or the PCI information ofthe target cell, measurement and instructs the terminal to report firstinformation of a designated cell and/or system broadcast information ofat least one cell. Herein, that the second node maintains the neighborrelation of the cell included by the second node means that: eachserving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

Herein, the first information of the designated cell includes at leastone of the following: a public land mobile network PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and anRNAC.

Herein, the system broadcast information of the at least one cell may beinformation broadcast in system broadcast of any cell.

In this embodiment of this application, the first node receives at leastone of the first information of the designated cell, the systembroadcast information of the at least one cell, a measurement result ofthe designated cell, a measurement result of the serving cell of theterminal, and a measurement result of the neighboring cell sent by thesecond node, for the first node to maintain a neighbor relation of acell included by the first node. Herein, that the first node maintainsthe neighbor relation of the cell included by the first node means that:each serving cell of the terminal included by the first node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural composition diagram 1 of a neighborrelation maintaining apparatus according to an embodiment of thisapplication. The apparatus is applied to a first node, and as shown inFIG. 4, includes:

a measurement configuration unit 401, configured to configuremeasurement and instruct a terminal to ANR-related information, orrequest a second node to configure measurement and instruct the terminalto report the ANR-related information; and

a requesting unit 402, configured to request the second node toconfigure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information.

If the first node configures measurement and instructs the terminal toreport the ANR-related information, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of a cell included bythe first node, and forwards the ANR-related information to the secondnode for the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cellincluded by the second node; and if the second node configuresmeasurement and instructs the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, the second node maintains, based on the ANR-relatedinformation, the neighbor relation of the cell included by the secondnode, and forwards the ANR-related information to the first node for thefirst node to maintain the neighbor relation of the cell included by thefirst node.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes:

a determining unit 403, configured to receive a measurement report sentby a terminal, and determine, based on the measurement report, that atarget cell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cell included bythe first node.

The measurement configuration unit 401 is configured to configuremeasurement and instruct, based on frequency point information and/orPCI information of the target cell, the terminal to report firstinformation of a designated cell and/or system broadcast information ofat least one cell.

In an implementation, the first information of the designated celland/or the system broadcast information of the at least one cellreported by the terminal to the first node are or is used for the firstnode to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by the firstnode.

In an implementation, that the first node maintains the neighborrelation of the cell included by the first node means that: each servingcell of the terminal included by the first node determines whether thedesignated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes:

a forwarding unit 404, configured to send at least one of the firstinformation of the designated cell, the system broadcast information ofthe at least one cell, a measurement result of the designated cell, ameasurement result of the serving cell of the terminal, and ameasurement result of the neighboring cell to the second node for thesecond node to maintain the neighbor relation of the cell included bythe second node.

In an implementation, that the second node maintains the neighborrelation of the cell included by the second node means that: eachserving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes:

a determining unit 403, configured to receive a measurement report sentby the terminal, and determine, based on the measurement report, that atarget cell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cell included bythe first node.

The requesting unit 402 is configured to request, based on frequencypoint information and/or PCI information of the target cell, the secondnode to configure measurement and instruct the terminal to reportinformation related to the designated cell.

In an implementation, that the second node configures measurement andinstructs the terminal to report information related to the designatedcell includes:

configuring, by the second node based on the frequency point informationand/or the PCI information of the target cell, measurement andinstructing the terminal to report first information of a designatedcell and/or system broadcast information of at least one cell.

In an implementation, the first information of the designated celland/or the system broadcast information of the at least one cellreported by the terminal to the second node are or is used for thesecond node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by thesecond node.

In an implementation, that the second node maintains the neighborrelation of the cell included by the second node means that: eachserving cell of the terminal included by the second node determineswhether the designated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

In an implementation, the apparatus further includes:

a receiving unit 405, configured to receive at least one of the firstinformation of the designated cell, the system broadcast information ofthe at least one cell, a measurement result of the designated cell, ameasurement result of the serving cell of the terminal, and ameasurement result of the neighboring cell sent by the second node, forthe first node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell included by thefirst node.

In an implementation, that the first node maintains the neighborrelation of the cell included by the first node means that: each servingcell of the terminal included by the first node determines whether thedesignated cell is a neighboring cell of the serving cell.

In an implementation, the first information of the designated cellincludes at least one of the following: a PLMN list, frequency pointinformation, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and an RNAC.

In an implementation, the first node is a master node in a dualconnectivity network, and the second node is a secondary node in thedual connectivity network; or

the second node is a master node in the dual connectivity network, andthe first node is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network.

A person skilled in the ordinary art should understand that, for relateddescriptions on the foregoing neighbor relation maintaining apparatus inthe embodiments of this application, understanding may be made withreference to the related descriptions on the neighbor relationmaintaining method in the embodiments of this application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural composition diagram 2 of a neighborrelation maintaining apparatus according to an embodiment of thisapplication. The apparatus is applied to a first node, and as shown inFIG. 5, includes:

a determining unit 501, configured to receive a measurement report sentby a terminal, and determine, based on the measurement report, that atarget cell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cell included bythe first node; and

a requesting unit 502, configured to request, based on frequency pointinformation and/or PCI information of the target cell, ANR-relatedinformation of a designated cell from a second node.

If the ANR-related information of the designated cell from the secondnode is obtainable to the first node, the first node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of the cell included bythe first node; and if the ANR-related information of the designatedcell from the second node is not obtainable to the first node, the firstnode configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report theANR-related information, or requests the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation.

In an implementation, the requesting unit 502 is configured to send arequest message to the second node, where the request message includesat least one of the following: frequency point information of the targetcell, PCI information of the target cell, and cell identifierinformation of a serving cell on a side of the first node for theterminal.

In an implementation, the cell identifier information of a serving cellon a side of the first node for the terminal includes at least one ofthe following: a PLMN list, frequency point information, PCIinformation, a cell identifier, a TAC, and an RNAC.

In an implementation, corresponding to that the first node configuresmeasurement and instructs the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, the apparatus further includes: a measurement configurationunit 503 and a forwarding unit 504.

The measurement configuration unit 503 is configured to configuremeasurement and instruct a terminal to ANR-related information, andmaintain, based on the information of the ANR, a neighbor relation of acell included by the first node.

The forwarding unit 504 is configured to forward the ANR-relatedinformation to the second node for the second node to maintain aneighbor relation of a cell included by the second node.

Corresponding to that the first node requests the second node toconfigure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information, the apparatus further includes: a receivingunit 505.

The receiving unit 505 is configured to receive the ANR-relatedinformation sent by the second node for the first node to maintain theneighbor relation of the cell included by the first node.

In an implementation, the ANR-related information includes firstinformation of the designated cell and/or system broadcast informationof at least one cell, where the first information of the designated cellincludes at least one of the following: a PLMN list, frequency pointinformation, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, and an RNAC.

In an implementation, the first node is a master node in a dualconnectivity network, and the second node is a secondary node in thedual connectivity network; or

the second node is a master node in the dual connectivity network, andthe first node is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network.

A person skilled in the ordinary art should understand that, for relateddescriptions on the foregoing neighbor relation maintaining apparatus inthe embodiments of this application, understanding may be made withreference to the related descriptions on the neighbor relationmaintaining method in the embodiments of this application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communications device 600according to an embodiment of this application. The communicationsdevice may be a network device (for example, an MN or an SN in DC). Thecommunications device 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes a processor 610. Theprocessor 610 may invoke and run a computer program in a memory, toimplement the method in the embodiments of this application.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the communications device 600 mayfurther include a memory 620. The processor 610 may invoke and run acomputer program in the memory 620, to implement the method in theembodiments of this application.

The memory 620 may be a component independent of the processor 610, ormay be integrated into the processor 610.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the communications device 600 mayfurther include a transceiver 630, and the processor 610 can control thetransceiver 630 to communicate with another device. Specifically, thetransceiver 630 sends information or data to another device, or receivesinformation or data sent by another device.

The transceiver 630 may include a transmitter and a receiver. Thetransceiver 630 may further include an antenna, and a quantity of theantenna can be one or more.

Optionally, the communications device 600 may specifically be a networkdevice in this embodiment of this application, and the communicationsdevice 600 can implement corresponding procedures implemented by thenetwork device in various methods in the embodiments of thisapplication. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

Optionally, the communications device 600 may specifically be a mobileterminal/a terminal in the embodiments of this application, and thecommunications device 600 can implement corresponding proceduresimplemented by the mobile terminal/the terminal in various methods inthe embodiments of this application. For brevity, details are notdescribed herein again.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to anembodiment of this application. A chip 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes aprocessor 710. The processor 710 may invoke and run a computer programin a memory, to implement the method in the embodiments of thisapplication.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the chip 700 may further include amemory 720. The processor 710 may invoke and run a computer program inthe memory 720, to implement the method in the embodiments of thisapplication.

The memory 720 may be a component independent of the processor 710, ormay be integrated into the processor 710.

Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an input interface 730. Theprocessor 710 may control the input interface 730 to communicate withanother device or chip, and specifically, may obtain information or datasent by another device or chip.

Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an output interface 740.The processor 710 may control the output interface 740 to communicatewith another device or chip, and specifically, may output information ordata to another device or chip.

Optionally, the chip may be applied to the network device in theembodiments of this application, and the chip can implementcorresponding procedures implemented by the network device in variousmethods in the embodiments of this application. For brevity, details arenot described herein again.

Optionally, the chip may be applied to a mobile terminal/a terminal inthe embodiments of this application, and the chip can implementcorresponding procedures implemented by the mobile terminal/the terminalin various methods in the embodiments of this application. For brevity,details are not described herein again.

It should be understood that, the chip mentioned in this embodiment ofthis application may also be referred to as a system-level chip, asystem chip, a chip system, a system on chip, or the like.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communications system 900according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 8, thecommunications system 900 includes a terminal 910 and a network device920.

The terminal 910 may be configured to implement the correspondingfunctions implemented by a terminal in the foregoing method, and thenetwork device 920 may be configured to implement the correspondingfunctions implemented by a network device in the foregoing method. Forbrevity, details are not described herein again.

It should be understood that, the processor of this embodiment of thisapplication may be an integrated circuit chip, and has a signalprocessing capability. During implementation, the steps of the foregoingmethod embodiment may be implemented by using a hardware integratedlogic circuit in the processor or implemented by using an instruction ina software form. The foregoing processor may be a general-purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), oranother programmable logical device, discrete gate or transistor logicaldevice, or discrete hardware component, and may implement or perform themethods, the steps, and logical block diagrams that are disclosed in theembodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor orthe like. Steps of the methods disclosed with reference to theembodiments of this application may be directly performed or completedby using a hardware decoding processor, or may be performed or completedby using a combination of hardware and a software module in the decodingprocessor. The software module may be located in a mature storage mediumin the art, for example, a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, a programmableROM, an electrically erasable programmable memory, or a register. Thestorage medium is located in the memory, and the processor readsinformation in the memory and completes the steps in the foregoingmethods in combination with hardware of the processor.

It can be understood that, the memory in the embodiments of thisapplication may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or mayinclude both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. Thenon-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM(PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), anelectrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory maybe a random access memory (RAM), and is used as an external cache.Through exemplary but not limitative description, RAMs in many forms maybe used, for example, a static RAM (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), asynchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), anenhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), a synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and a direct rambusRAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that, the memory for the system and themethod described herein aims to include, but not limited to, thememories and any other suitable types of memories.

It should be understood that, the foregoing description of the memory isillustrative, but is not limitative. For example, the memory in theembodiments of this application may alternatively be a static RAM(SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a double datarate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), an enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), a synchlink SDRAM(SLDRAM), a direct rambus RAM (DR RAM), or the like. That is, the memorydescribed in this embodiment of this application aims to include, butnot limited to, the memories and any other suitable types of memories.

An embodiment of this application further provides a computer-readablestorage medium, configured to store a computer program.

Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium may be applied to thenetwork device in the embodiments of this application, and the computerprogram enables a computer to perform corresponding proceduresimplemented by the network device in the methods in the embodiments ofthis application. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium may be applied to thenetwork device in the mobile terminal/the terminal in the embodiments ofthis application, and the computer program enables a computer to performcorresponding procedures implemented by the mobile terminal/the terminalin the methods in the embodiments of this application. For brevity,details are not described herein again.

An embodiment of this application further provides a computer programproduct, including a computer program instruction.

Optionally, the computer program product may be applied to the networkdevice in the embodiments of this application, and the computer programinstruction enables a computer to perform corresponding proceduresimplemented by the network device in the methods in the embodiments ofthis application. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

Optionally, the computer program product may be applied to the mobileterminal/the terminal in the embodiments of this application, and thecomputer program instruction enables a computer to perform correspondingprocedures implemented by the mobile terminal/the terminal in themethods in the embodiments of this application. For brevity, details arenot described herein again.

An embodiment of this application further provides a computer program.

Optionally, the computer program may be applied to the network device inthe embodiments of this application, and when the computer program isrun on the computer, the computer is enabled to perform correspondingprocedures implemented by the network device in the methods in theembodiments of this application. For brevity, details are not describedherein again.

Optionally, the computer program may be applied to the network device inthe mobile terminal/the terminal in the embodiments of this application,and when the computer program is run on the computer, the computer isenabled to perform corresponding procedures implemented by the mobileterminal/the terminal in the methods in the embodiments of thisapplication. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may notice that the exemplaryunits and algorithm steps described with reference to the embodimentsdisclosed in this specification can be implemented in electronichardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware.Whether the functions are executed in a mode of hardware or softwaredepends on particular applications and design constraint conditions ofthe technical solutions. A person skilled in the art may use differentmethods to implement the described functions for each particularapplication, but it should not be considered that the implementationgoes beyond the scope of this application.

A person skilled in the art may clearly understand that, for simple andclear description, for specific work processes of the foregoingdescribed system, apparatus, and unit, reference may be made tocorresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and detailsare not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should beunderstood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may beimplemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatusembodiment is merely an example. For example, the unit division ismerely logical function division and may be other division during actualimplementation. For example, a plurality of units or components may becombined or integrated into another system, or some features may beignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutualcouplings or direct couplings or communication connections may beimplemented by using some interfaces. The indirect couplings orcommunication connections between the apparatuses or units may beimplemented in electric, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physicallyseparate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units,may be located in one position, or may be distributed on a plurality ofnetwork units. Some or all of the units may be selected according toactual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of theembodiments.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of this application maybe integrated into one processing unit, or each of the units may existalone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

If implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or usedas an independent product, the functions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, thetechnical solutions of this application essentially, or the partcontributing to the prior art, or part of the technical solutions may beimplemented in the form of a software product. The computer softwareproduct is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructionsfor instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, aserver, a network device, and the like) to perform all or a part of thesteps of the method described in the embodiment of this application. Theforegoing storage medium includes: any medium that can store programcode, such as a USB flash disk, a removable hard disk, a read-onlymemory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or anoptical disc.

The descriptions are only specific implementations of this application,but are not intended to limit the protection scope of this application.Any variation or replacement readily figured out by a person skilled inthe art within the technical scope disclosed in this application shallfall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, theprotection scope of this application shall be subject to the protectionscope of the claims.

1. A neighbor relation maintaining method, the method comprising:configuring, by a first node, measurement and instructing a terminal toreport automatic neighbor relation ANR-related information, orrequesting a second node to configure measurement and instruct theterminal to report the ANR-related information, wherein if the firstnode configures measurement and instructs the terminal to report theANR-related information, the first node maintains, based on theANR-related information, a neighbor relation of a cell comprised by thefirst node, and forwards the ANR-related information to the second nodefor the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell comprisedby the second node; and if the second node configures measurement andinstructs the terminal to report the ANR-related information, the secondnode maintains, based on the ANR-related information, the neighborrelation of the cell comprised by the second node, and forwards theANR-related information to the first node for the first node to maintainthe neighbor relation of the cell comprised by the first node.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the firstnode, a measurement report sent by the terminal, and determining, basedon the measurement report, that a target cell is not in a neighborrelation list of the cell comprised by the first node, wherein theconfiguring, by a first node, measurement and instructing a terminal toANR-related information comprises: configuring, by the first node basedon at least one of frequency point information or physical cellidentifier PCI information of a target cell, measurement, andinstructing the terminal to report at least one of first information ofa designated cell or system broadcast information of at least one cell.3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the requesting a second nodeto configure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information comprises: receiving, by the first node, ameasurement report sent by the terminal, and determining, based on themeasurement report, that a target cell is not in a neighbor relationlist of the cell comprised by the first node; and requesting, by thefirst node based on at least one of frequency point information or PCIinformation of the target cell, the second node to configure measurementand instruct the terminal to report information related to thedesignated cell.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein that thesecond node configures measurement and instructs the terminal to reportinformation related to the designated cell comprises: configuring, bythe second node based on at least one of the frequency point informationor the PCI information of the target cell, measurement and instructingthe terminal to report at least one of first information of a designatedcell or system broadcast information of at least one cell.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 3, further comprising: receiving, by the first node,at least one of the first information of the designated cell, the systembroadcast information of the at least one cell, a measurement result ofthe designated cell, a measurement result of the serving cell of theterminal, or a measurement result of the neighboring cell sent by thesecond node, for the first node to maintain the neighbor relation of thecell comprised by the first node.
 6. The method according to claim 2,wherein the first information of the designated cell comprises at leastone of the following: a public land mobile network PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a tracking areacode TAC, or an RNAC.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein thefirst node is a master node in a dual connectivity network, and thesecond node is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network; or thesecond node is a master node in the dual connectivity network, and thefirst node is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network.
 8. Aneighbor relation maintaining apparatus, wherein the apparatus isapplied to a first node, and comprises: a transceiver, a processor and amemory for storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein theprocessor is configured to: configure measurement and instruct aterminal to ANR-related information, or request a second node toconfigure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information; and request the second node to configuremeasurement and instruct the terminal to report the ANR-relatedinformation, wherein if the first node configures measurement andinstructs the terminal to report the ANR-related information, the firstnode maintains, based on the ANR-related information, a neighborrelation of a cell comprised by the first node, and forwards theANR-related information to the second node for the second node tomaintain a neighbor relation of a cell comprised by the second node; andif the second node configures measurement and instructs the terminal toreport the ANR-related information, the second node maintains, based onthe ANR-related information, the neighbor relation of the cell comprisedby the second node, and forwards the ANR-related information to thefirst node for the first node to maintain the neighbor relation of thecell comprised by the first node.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8,wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a measurement reportsent by the terminal, and determine, based on the measurement report,that a target cell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cellcomprised by the first node, and the processor is configured toconfigure measurement and instruct, based on at least one of frequencypoint information or PCI information of the target cell, the terminal toreport at least one of first information of a designated cell or systembroadcast information of at least one cell.
 10. The apparatus accordingto claim 8, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive ameasurement report sent by the terminal, and determine, based on themeasurement report, that a target cell is not in a neighbor relationlist of the cell comprised by the first node, and the processor isconfigured to request, based on at least one of frequency pointinformation or PCI information of the target cell, the second node toconfigure measurement and instruct the terminal to report informationrelated to the designated cell.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein that the second node configures measurement and instructs theterminal to report information related to the designated cell comprises:configuring, by the second node based on at least one of the frequencypoint information or the PCI information of the target cell, measurementand instructing the terminal to report at least one of first informationof a designated cell or system broadcast information of at least onecell.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transceiveris configured to: receive at least one of the first information of thedesignated cell, the system broadcast information of the at least onecell, a measurement result of the designated cell, a measurement resultof the serving cell of the terminal, or a measurement result of theneighboring cell sent by the second node, for the first node to maintainthe neighbor relation of the cell comprised by the first node.
 13. Theapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first information of thedesignated cell comprises at least one of the following: a PLMN list,frequency point information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC,or an RNAC.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the firstnode is a master node in a dual connectivity network, and the secondnode is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network; or the secondnode is a master node in the dual connectivity network, and the firstnode is a secondary node in the dual connectivity network.
 15. Aneighbor relation maintaining apparatus, wherein the apparatus isapplied to a first node, and comprises: a transceiver, a processor and amemory for storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein thetransceiver is configured to receive a measurement report sent by theterminal, and determine, based on the measurement report, that a targetcell is not in a neighbor relation list of the cell comprised by thefirst node; the processor is configured to request, based on at leastone of frequency point information or PCI information of the targetcell, ANR-related information of a designated cell from a second node,wherein if the ANR-related information of the designated cell from thesecond node is obtainable to the first node, the first node maintains,based on the ANR-related information, a neighbor relation of the cellcomprised by the first node; and if the ANR-related information of thedesignated cell from the second node is not obtainable to the firstnode, the first node configures measurement and instructs the terminalto report the ANR-related information, or requests the second node toconfigure measurement and instruct the terminal to report theANR-related information.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15,wherein the processor is configured to send a request message to thesecond node, and the request message comprises at least one of thefollowing: frequency point information of the target cell, PCIinformation of the target cell, or cell identifier information of aserving cell on a side of the first node for the terminal.
 17. Theapparatus according to claim 16, wherein the cell identifier informationof a serving cell on a side of the first node for the terminal comprisesat least one of the following: a PLMN list, frequency point information,PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, or an RNAC.
 18. The apparatusclaim 15, wherein the processor is configured to: responsive to that thefirst node configures measurement and instructs the terminal to reportthe ANR-related information, configure measurement and instruct theterminal to report the ANR-related information, and maintain a neighborrelation of a cell comprised by the first node based on the informationof the ANR; and forward the ANR-related information to the second nodefor the second node to maintain a neighbor relation of a cell comprisedby the second node; responsive to that the first node requests thesecond node to configure measurement and instruct the terminal to reportthe ANR-related information, receive the ANR-related information sent bythe second node for the first node to maintain the neighbor relation ofthe cell comprised by the first node.
 19. The apparatus according toclaim 15, wherein the ANR-related information comprises at least one offirst information of the designated cell or system broadcast informationof at least one cell, wherein the first information of the designatedcell comprises at least one of the following: a PLMN list, frequencypoint information, PCI information, a cell identifier, a TAC, or anRNAC.
 20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first node isa master node in a dual connectivity network, and the second node is asecondary node in the dual connectivity network; or the second node is amaster node in the dual connectivity network, and the first node is asecondary node in the dual connectivity network.